What this puppy chatbot says about the friendly future of fintech for consumers

Intuit thinks this puppy will make finance more fun.

fintech intuit innovation lab chatbot sad puppy
Melissa Riofrio/IDG

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Fintech is a blanket term for financial technologies. Fintech ranges from the payment and banking apps many of us already use, to the AI and machine-learning applications that crunch transactional data for financial companies, to cryptocurrency, blockchain, and other complete re-imaginings of how money works. At Intuit’s Innovation Lab Wednesday night in San Francisco, the puppy was one of several experiments shown by the company’s developers that explore how consumers could experience fintech in their daily lives—and maybe have more fun with managing money.  

A puppy (or kitten) that cares

fintech intuit innovation lab chatbot kitten Melissa Riofrio/IDG


The puppy chatbot, along with a kitten and some human-like characters, are an experiment in what Intuit called empathetic virtual assistants. Designed to present a friendly face for answering your financial questions, these chatbots can converse using natural language and express one of six emotions based on how you seem to be feeling when you call. 


fintech intuit innovation lab chatbot brunette woman Melissa Riofrio/IDG


The chatbots' emotions are just mimicry, and they're working with a script. Still, their ability to appear somewhat real could make a customer more likely to discuss their problem and accept suggested solutions.


A friendly financial app

fintech intuit innovation lab shield app spending values Melissa Riofrio/IDG



Intuit’s Sumayah Rahman showed how the app uses quizzes to define your spending style and analyze your financial situation. Armed with this information, the app can help you set useful goals, such as building up an emergency fund. 

fintech intuit innovation lab shield app your style Melissa Riofrio/IDG


The fictional demo customer, a young woman named Lily, is an impulsive spender who likes to indulge in social activities and basically has no money saved up. Rahman showed how the app could nudge Lily toward some financial targets and make it easier to meet them by routing money automatically from Lily’s paycheck into a savings account. 

fintech intuit innovation lab shield app autopilot Melissa Riofrio/IDG


What the app and chatbot experiments have in common is the personal touch. Intuit’s goal is to use AI and machine learning to tailor its financial planning and management services to the individual and bolster customer engagement. The more comfortable someone feels using a product, the more they’ll use it, Intuit hopes. This greater comfort could lead to better financial behavior, and it could also create opportunities for Intuit to sell people loans and other financial products, naturally.

fintech intuit innovation lab panel Melissa Riofrio/IDG


PayPal executive Swati Bhatia summed up the purpose of the helpful app, the disarming puppy chatbot, and other experiments during a panel discussion at the event. “What would it take for financial services to be embedded so deeply that it’s almost invisible? Trust and convenience. We can only get to this possible future if users trust their financial companies.”


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